PSYCH - Motivation - Instinct, Drive Reduction, & Arousal
Emotion
Hunger
What is Motivation?
The impulse to do a
certain action
3 Theories:
★ Instinct Theory
★ Drive-Reduction Theory
★ Arousal Theory
COMPONENTS OF MOTIVATION:
Motive: Stimulus that moves person toward a behavior designed to
achieve a specific goal.
Need: Lack of something that one requires or desires.
Drive: Force that pushes a person to act.
Incentive: Force that pulls person toward a particular behavior.
Emotions: States of the body and mind associated with feelings.
Motivation may be…
conscious "I'll need a good grade, so I'll study"
or
unconscious nibbling on food while you're studying
Instinct Theory:
One of the oldest theories comes from the
field that we know today as Evolutionary
Psychology
Charles Darwin: human behavior is driven
by innate instinctual drives (unlearned) like
those for some birds & fish.
However, this theory soon revealed its
limitations in that it could only describe the
behavior of humans but not provide an
explanation.
Examples:
★ Sea Turtles, upon being born on the
beach, instinctively head directly to the
sea.
★ Infants have an inborn rooting reflex that
helps them seek out a nipple & obtain
nourishment.
★ Birds have an inborn need to build a
nest or migrate during the winter.
Drive-Reduction Theory (Clark-Hull
1940s)
Physiological need creates an aroused tension state
(a drive) that motivates an organism to satisfy the
need
Hull: Humans have innate biological needs (thirst)
& social needs (love)
Drives compel us to satisfy our needs
The need is usually to maintain homeostasis.
We are not only pushed by our needs...
Pulled by our incentives: a positive or
negative environmental stimulus that
motivates behavior
Arousal Theory
Sometimes we do not seek homeostasis, but
instead seek arousal.
Our needs go beyond reducing drives.
Stimulation is a primary need.
Too much stimulation causes stress, so homeostatic
processes are working here as well.
Some people exhibit a drive towards high-risk
situations that are uncomfortable without adrenaline
rush.
Others are content to watch and would feel
uncomfortable if they were forced to engage in highrisk behaviors.
Homeostasis: tendency of organisms to maintain balance
When we are too cold, hypothalamus releases hormones that cause us to shiver & seek out warmth (put on clothing).
When we have not had enough sleep, we are likewise pushed to slow down as we yawn & struggle to keep our eyes
open.
Homeostasis helps us to return to balance state after we deviate
from our normal state.
YouTube: Cliff Diving in Hawaii
Theories about emotion:
1. James-Lange Theory: We have a psychological response
& we label it as an emotion:
"I see a shark, my muscles tense, I feel afraid."
1. Cannon-Bard Theory: We have an emotional response &
we feel the physiological response:
"I see a shark, I feel afraid, my muscles tense."
1. Schacter-Singer Theory: We experience feelings & then
label them:
"I feel bad. I must be scared."
1. Cognitive Appraisal: When there is no physiological
arousal.
“we experience something; we think about it, we label it as an emotion.”
YouTube: Charles Schallhorn - Theories of Emotions
Emotions are difficult to understand.
We assume they are physiological at
some level, but often is a cognitive
component.
However, unlike other areas of cognition,
emotions are not directly under our
control.
JEALOUSY is a great example!
Experience that is very common but difficult to
explain: just like much of psychology
Psychology– Motivation & Emotion: Hunger
Hunger: physiological, social & psychological
Things to know - Motivation & Emotion:
1) Human motivation is complex, & while
there are a number of theories, none by
itself sufficiently explains our behavior.
1) Biological motivation includes the role of
the hypothalamus, which maintains a
state called homeostasis.
1) Theories of social motivation, including
the need for achievement & hierarchy of
needs, show the importance of
understanding motivation in the context
of our environments.
1) Emotions can be explained through a
variety of theoretical perspectives, each
arguing that emotion emerges in
conjunction with physiological
response to stimuli.
Hunger
Games
Ironic?
1960s: Discovered that
hunger comes from the
Brain.
The Brain
The
Hypothalam
us
BIOLOGICAL
MOTIVATION:
Hypothalamus:
region of brain most
often associated w/
motivation
Motivation: feeding,
fighting, fleeing, &
sexual reproduction.
Physiology of Hunger
Washburn: showed hunger partially
related to the stomach.
**However, those persons who have
had their stomachs removed still feel
hunger.
Glucose: hormone insulin converts
glucose to fat.
When glucose levels drop:
HUNGER INCREASES
BIOLOGICAL
MOTIVATION
Evidence: Lateral Hypothalamus provides
motivation for hunger or feeding:
Lesion Lateral Hypothalamus in a rat,
rat will lose its appetite.
Rat will experience a form of anorexia in
which it will not be hungry &, therefore, will
not eat.
-------------------------------------------------Evidence: Ventromedial Hypothalamus as the
satiety center (part of brain that signals you are
full):
Lesion Ventromedial Hypothalamus, rat will not
feel full.
Rat will continue to eat well beyond what is
normally expected.